The Hellman Foundation is deeply committed to community centered approaches grounded in the values and practices of trust-based philanthropy and participatory grantmaking. In 2022, with a goal to advance community leadership and cede grantmaking power to local Bay Area leaders, the Hellman Foundation team created a Community Panel to collaboratively review proposals and determine funding recommendations. We continue to learn from, evolve, and apply our Community Panel model, which has already strengthened the impact of our collective work. ​

Community Panel

Kym Johnson (she/her)
BANANAS, Inc.
Kym Johnson (she/her) is the CEO of BANANAS, Inc., an early care and education organization that provides resources for families and early educators in Oakland and north Alameda County. She is an advocate for families with young children and the early educators that teach and care for them. Kym is on the executive committee of Oakland Starting Smart and Strong, focused on creating universal access to high-quality early learning, the chair of the Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council, a Commissioner on the City of Oakland Children's Initiative Oversight Commission which funds early education and college access, Councilmember on the Community Advisory Council for Measure C, and the early care and education lead for Rise East. She volunteers her time as the Board Chair of MISSSEY, an organization that supports girls and gender expansive youth to be safe from sexual exploitation. Kym is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has an MBA from the University of San Francisco, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from California State University - East Bay, and a BA in Marketing from San Francisco State University. She's a native New Yorker from the Bronx, but calls Oakland her adopted hometown. ​

Kym joined the Community Panel in 2022.